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Speckled TinkerbirdPogoniulus scolopaceus nest site north of Libreville, Gabon

Image Credit:

John Caddick

Male Orange WeaverPloceus aurantius, Lopé Hotel, Gabon

Image Credit:

John Caddick

African SkimmerRynchops flavirostris, Sette Cama, near Gamba, Gabon

Image Credit:

John Caddick

Gabon is a relatively small country with a host of species and many areas to watch birds. A few sites are becoming well known and those birders wishing to make the greatest contribution would do well to visit new areas which are likely to be just as rewarding. The following sites were visited during the African Bird Club sponsored tour to Gabon in October 2006 and some of the birds seen are documented below.

The majority of foreign visitors will fly into the capital city, Libreville and this can be a good place to begin birdwatching. The scrubby coastal areas near the airport have Reichenbach’s SunbirdAnabathmis reichenbachiiand Vieillot’s Black WeaverPloceus nigerrimus. Degraded forest habitat about 20 km north of Libreville holds Grey-throated BarbetGymnobucco bonapartei, Speckled TinkerbirdPogoniulus scolopaceus, Green-throated SunbirdChalcomitra rubescens, Forest Chestnut-winged StarlingOnychognathus fulgidus and Purple-headed Glossy StarlingLamprotornis purpureiceps. Somewhat rarer, a pair of Black SpinetailTelacanthura melanopygia circled low over the forest and small groups of Rosy Bee-eaterMerops malimbicus were moving southwards in the same area in October 2006.

Lopé National Park is a spectacular forest site which has a healthy population of primates. The Park and its surrounding areas are rich in bird diversity and host the sought after Dja River WarblerBradypterus grandis. The northern section of this National Park has tall-grass savannas scattered with stunted trees. The National Park can be reached by rail connection from Libreville but many people will make the journey by road in which case, N’Djoué is a good place for a lunch stop. The banks of the Ogooué River are places to look for both Rock PratincoleGlareola nuchalis and Grey PratincoleG. cinerea, White-headed LapwingVanellus albiceps, Cassin’s FlycatcherMuscicapa cassini and Black-bellied SeedcrackerPyrenestes ostrinus.

It is necessary to enter the Lopé National Park with a guide to find Dja River WarblerBradypterus grandis in its preferred swampy habitat. Grey ParrotsPsittacus erithacus, Grey-headed KingfisherHalcyon leucocephala, African Pied HornbillTockus fasciatus, Piping HornbillBycanistes fistulator, Black-casqued HornbillCeratogymna atrata, Whistling CisticolaCisticola lateralis, Compact WeaverPachyphantes superciliosus and Yellow-mantled WidowbirdEuplectes macroura can all be found en route to the area which holds the warblers. Forested areas also have interesting and difficult to find species such as Blue-headed Wood DoveTurtur brehmeri, Green-tailed BristelbillBleda eximius and the delightful Chestnut-capped FlycatcherErythrocercus mccallii.

The Batéké plateau situated on the country’s south-eastern border with Congo is Gabon’s most important grassland site with habitats ranging from rolling, grassy hills to dense, stunted, broad-leaved woodland. In all areas these habitats are juxtaposed to forests, with a rich diversity of bird species occurring within a small area. Many of these species are at the northern limit of their range and will be difficult to find elsewhere.

The more open areas are the favoured haunt of a few White-bellied Bustard Eupodotis senegalensis and Black-bellied BustardE. melanogaster, Temminck’s CourserCursorius temminckii, Long-tailed NightjarCaprimulgus climacurus, Malbrandt’s Rufous-naped LarkMirafra africana malbranti, Short-tailed Pipit Anthus brachyurus, Congo Moor-ChatMyrmecocichla tholloni and Dambo CisticolaCisticola dambo, not known from anywhere else in western Africa, and Fawn-breasted WaxbillEstrilda paludicola.

The Ivindo River Basin in the north-east of the country holds the most species rich lowland forests in Africa. At the small Ipassa Research Station, an Important Bird Area a couple of kilometres from the large town of Makokou, 190 Guinea-Congo Forest biome-restricted species have been recorded, the highest total for any IBA.

Evening boat trips from Makokou provide an opportunity for sightings of a number of species which are difficult to see on land. These include Spot-breasted Ibis Bostrychia rara, Hartlaub’s DuckPteronetta hartlaubii, African FinfootPodica senegalensis, two rarely seen nightjars, Bates’sCaprimulgus batesi, and Brown NightjarC. binotatus, Bates’s SwiftApus batesi, Leaf-lovePyrrhurus scandens and White-browed Forest-FlycatcherFraseria cinerascens.

Perhaps the most varied part of Gabon is along its coast, such as in the Gamba complex, where forest and scrub habitats are supplemented by large coastal lagoons, mangroves, sandy shorelines and thickets with numerous palms. This area is not connected by road to the rest of Gabon and can only be reached by air. The sandy areas in the village of Sette Cama are a good place to find a range of exciting and unusual birds including Rosy Bee-eaterMerops malimbicus, African River MartinPseudochelidon eurystomina, Rufous-tailed Palm-ThrushCichladusa ruficauda and Loanga Weaver Ploceus subpersonatus.

The savannah edge is the best place to look for Cassin’s SpinetailNeafrapus cassini, the uncommon Black-headed Bee-eaterMerops breweri, Grey-rumped SwallowPseudhirundo griseopyga as well as large colonies of Rosy Bee-eater Merops malimbicus and African River MartinPseudochelidon eurystomina in their breeding seasons. A walk through a forest may produce Plumed Guineafowl Guttera plumifera, Blue-throated RollerEurystomus gularis, Red-tailedNeocossyphus rufus and White-tailed Ant-ThrushN. poensis and Blue-billed MalimbeMalimbus nitens.